it was a sting and the fbi put him in handcuffs. daoud lived only a short distance away in this suburban neighborhood. his neighbors were stunned at the allegations. >> it's very scary. and it hurts my heart because i never would have thought, never would i have thought that this is the way his mind was going. >> reporter: fbi officials say daoud came to their attention last october after he allegedly began posting violent messages on the internet. a few months later, fbi undercover agents posing as radicals contacted daoud online. discussions allegedly began without waging jihad here. by the summer after, daoud was put in contact with another undercover agent posing as a terrorist based in new york. he allegedly began planning an attack and looking at potential targets, including malls and military recruiting centers. fbi officials say dauod was given more than one chance to back out of the plot, but david, they say he was hellbent on going forward. >> pierre thomas in washington, pierre, thank you. now to the race for president to